Garment.



. Witnesses by W Attorneys W. E. BRAY.

GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APILS, 1911.

1,022,461 Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

2 SHBETBSHEET 1.

Inventor COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (:0 WASHINGTON, D. c.

W. E. BRAY.

GARMENT.

APPLIGATION FILED AFB. 3, 1911.

1,022,46 1 Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses g2 by Z Attorneys KIOLUMEIA PLANOGRAPH co, WASHINGTON. D. c.

WILLIAM E. BRAY, OF PRYOR CREE-K, OKLAHOMA.

GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1911.

Patented Apr. 9,1912.

Serial No. 618,716.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WVILLIAM E. BRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pryor Creek, in the county of Mayes and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Garment, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to garments to be worn by women in inclement weather, the object of the invention being to provide a storm coat or cape having means combined therewith whereby the skirts of the wearer will be protected.

Another object is to provide a garment of this character which has the same appearance outwardly as an ordinary storm coat, the inner skirt-protecting means carried by the coat being at all times concealed.

A further object is to provide a garment of this character which can be readily put on and taken oif and which will not encumber the movements of the wearer to an objectionable extent.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a view showing the garment in use, portions of the garment being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the garment, the lower portion thereof being folded back to show the interior shield or protector. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the garment, said section being taken above the interior shield. Fig. 1 is a detail view of the shield formed as a separate article to be applied to an ordinary rain coat. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the shield or protector with the two parts thereof disconnected. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a supporter to be used in connection with the protector.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a full length coat of any suitable material, preferably water proof and this coat is similar in external itppearance to an ordinary rain coat or the The protector constituting the present invention, is made of two pieces designated at 2 and 3 respectively both pieces being of the same length as the lower edge of the coat 1. The lower edge of the piece 2 is slightly curved from end to end as indicated at 4. while its upper edge is formed with a central exten sion or tongue 5 provided at its end with a tab 6. Between the ends of the piece 2 and the tongue 5, the upper edges of said piece are curved as indicated at 7 and tabs 8 extend from these curved edges close to the free ends thereof. Elastic strips 9 are preferably secured along the curved edges 7 of the piece 2, casings 10 being preferably formed along said edges for the reception of the elastics. Any suitable flexible stiffening devices, such as strips 11 of feather-bone or the like, may be secured to the piece 2 close to the lower edge 4 thereof at the center and may also be extended upwardly toward the tongue 5, as shown in Fig. 5.

The piece 3 of the shield or protector is of the same length as the piece 2 but its longitudinal edges are parallel and curved, the convex edge being adapted to be sewed or otherwise secured to the edge 4 of the piece 2 while the other longitudinal edge of the piece 3 is adapted to be sewed or otherwise secured to the inner face of the coat 1 at a distance above the lower edge of the coat slightly greater than the width of the piece 3 so that, when the piece 2 is folded on the piece 3,.the entire shield or protector will be entirely concealed within the coat.

The ends of the piece 2 are preferably inclined so as to converge upwardly, as shown at 11 and suitable securing means, such as snap fasteners 12 are secured along these edges 11.

It will be apparent that when a coat is provided with the shield or protector described some form of support must be used in connection with the protector. In Fig. 6 has been shown a support made up of a waist band 13 having a front elastic 14 and a back elastic 15 each of which is provided wit-h the usual form of hose fastener 16. This support shown in Fig. 6 is designed to be worn about the waist and under the skirts to be protected. After the coat has been puton the piece 2 of the protector is extended upwardly under the skirts and the tab 6 on the tongue 5 is secured to the elastic 15 by the fastener 16. The ends of the piece 2 are then secured together by means of the fasteners 12 after which the elastics 9 are fastened to the wearer above the knees and the two tabs 8 are connected to the fastener 16 suspended from the front elastic 14. When the coat is buttoned down the front, the skirtwill be completely housed between the coat and the protector. The flexible stiffening devices 11 serve to prevent the back portion of the shield from pressing against the heels of the wearer and thus interfering with the movements thereof.

While the device has been described as secured to a coat, it is to be understood that it can also be worn with a storm cape. Moreover instead of sewing or otherwise permanently attaching the protector to the coat or cape, said protector can be made as a separate article, as illustrated in Fig. 4;, in which event securing devices, such as snap fasteners 17 are arranged along the free longitudinal edge of the piece 3 of the protector and are adapted to engage fastening devices secured to the inner surface of the coat. The shield or protector can thus be detachably held in place and, when it is not desired to use the same, it can be readily removed.

It will be apparent that the shield, when in use, forms a skirt receiving pocket extending throughout the length of the shield, this pocket being annular when the ends of the shield are connected together.

Although the shield has been shown and described in connection with a supporter to be worn around the waist, it is to be understood that, if desired, this supporter may be dispensed with and the shield attached directly to the corset or other garment of the wearer.

What is claimed is As an article of manufacture, a skirt shield made up of separate pieces having curved edges secured together and forming a fold extending in the direction of the length of the shield,'said pieces forming a longitudinal skirt receiving pocket open at its ends, means for detachably securing one longitudinal edge of the shield to the inner face of a skirt, means upon the other longitudinal edge of the shield for gathering the shield about the knees of the wearer, a tongue extending from said edge and between the gathering means, and a stifiening device secured to and extending transversely of the middle portion of the shield and below the tongue.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. BRAY.

lVitnesses FRANK B. OCHSENREITER, LENA WILLSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

